Canon PowerShot SX50 HS compact camera review

An exceptional opportunity to amaze every technology lover – the world’s first compact camera with 50x optical zoom. The practical value of such characteristics raises doubts even from the point of 30-35x, but who is interested in practice, when at the long end of focal lengths you get 1200 “equivalent” millimeters?

12.1 Megapixel 24-1200 50x 2.8″ $600

Here’s an interesting little digression into the history of photographic technique. The closest equivalent in the DSLR world to the EOS family is the Canon EF 1200 mm f/5.6 L USM. Exceptionally rare and already out of production, the lens was custom-made in single copies, included two optical elements of fluorite according to legend, it took about a year just to grow crystals of the appropriate size , weighed 16.5 kg and cost over a hundred thousand dollars!

In the latest PowerShot SX50 HS all the same – with a few caveats – is achieved for less than twenty thousand Dollars and in a body weighing about 600 grams. No need to go a mile into the field from your subject: the wide angle lets you shoot in tight conditions just like with a normal compact. The best part, of course, is that you can see and lock in both the overall picture and the fine detail that is invisible to the eye at the same time. Even an ideal eye, at least in the “dense” city atmosphere, can hardly discern anything beyond the conventional 600-800 mm. A special function of preliminary “aiming” zooming helps to use the full range: the zoom lever zooms not in full power, allowing to see on the screen the place where you want to aim in full.

Other camera features are in line with the current high level. The fast sensor and proprietary Digic processor enable continuous shooting at up to 13 fps and Full HD video recording. The optics are equipped with an advanced stabilization system, “compensating”, according to the developer, up to 4.5 steps in shutter speed. The interface is packed with a lot of “smart aids” for the beginner and manual modes for advanced amateurs even RAW recording, rare in cameras with a small sensor . The display is small, 2.8 inches, but with decent resolution and a swivel mechanism.

Buying SX50, seriously expecting to use 50x zoom is very shortsighted. There are not many opportunities for an ordinary amateur photographer, and there is little practical sense in such opportunities. However, as the most modern and “pumped up” camera the camera is good. And the opportunity to look beyond the horizon – not for the sake of good pictures, but out of pure curiosity – is also valuable.